I mean my Old Country, New England. The area around Newburyport, Mass., to as far north as, say, Rye Beach, NH. A largely beautiful, quite historic area. I miss it but of course couldn't live there for two minutes.
Pleasant St., Newburyport, as I remember it
My childhood best friend, Richard Kaplan, calls the event on Saturday night "Bubbafest 08." We all had a splendid time at last year's edition, even though most who attended drank blush Zinfandel or something as bad. (My work is not done. Maybe I should call the Italian Wine Guy to help me out. He'd get a load of bubbas, New England-style. Yes, there are plenty of bubbas in New England. They just tock diffrint.)
And I will see Janet Gillman, my first girlfriend. I still see her through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy. She's wonderful, sweet and real.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
At Rye Beach
Terentius, have a great time... there's no place like home (although the tacos are better in La Jolla).
Came across this and made me think of you. Your blog is very much about humanity (as are you):
Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto.
Travel safely...
Posted by: Jeremy Parzen | June 27, 2008 at 04:57 PM
Jeremy, don't be callin me no puto.
Posted by: terence | June 27, 2008 at 05:01 PM
Gorgeous. Whenever I go back to my hometown I smell it and brings the weirdest sensation to me. I just feel like staying inside in bed all day.
Posted by: Lisa Qiu | June 27, 2008 at 08:49 PM
Thank you, Lisa, for your overcompensation with all these comments. I know you mean well...
I'm in a very bad mood because it's taken me 12 HOURS to get from New York to my hometown and, oh, by the way, I'm still not there yet. This commuter bus at least has wi-fi. I can vent.
Trust me when I tell you I will never take Amtrak again. Ever.
Posted by: Strappo | June 27, 2008 at 08:55 PM
I was there in late March. My, the old town has grown near the Pines! Snowed like hell. Had breakfast in Salisbury. In many ways, not much has changed.
Ciao, John
Posted by: John | July 08, 2008 at 02:29 PM
Salisbury is still pretty redneck. Newburyport's had the extreme makeover though and is no longer the down-at-heel industrial town I remember. Crawling with lots of new money and new accents. Most of the old townies have moved to New Hampshire, it seems.
Posted by: strappo | July 08, 2008 at 02:41 PM